Poverty and Social Exclusion in India through a multi-dimensional perspective:
India has come a long way, from being ruled by a foreign entity for two centuries to become a free and fast-growing economic power in the modern world. However, poverty and social exclusion still prevail in large parts of the country. They are often more inter-related than people would otherwise think. This essay will begin by defining the two terms; moving on to the history of poverty and social exclusion in India and finally to the causes and effects through a multi-dimensional view.
“Poverty means going short materially, socially and emotionally. It means spending less on food, on heating, and on clothing than someone on an average income… Above all, poverty takes
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It has been separated into two main definitions: Absolute poverty, which describes a basic income that can provide a sufficient level of primary needs, such as food, water and shelter (Anon., 2011). The second, relative poverty, this is a viewing poverty in comparison to the physical possession of others (Townsend, 1971). This definition helps us to measure the gap between the rich and the poor.
Social exclusion is a social disadvantage when people of a particular community are systematically deprived of basic rights or opportunity to participate in various activities that are generally available to other communities. This concept that was first coined in France is used widely in the world to depict the various types of social disadvantages. Moreover, the concept has attracted different definitions from different
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The above mentioned factors have not only affected the economic prospects of a country but also in areas of human development. India has been ranked poorly in the 2014 Human Development Index report which consists of rate of life expectancy, education and per capita income of an individual. It has ranked India at 135th position behind other South Asian countries like Sri Lanka (73rd rank) (Anon., 2014).
As we have seen so far, social inequality and exclusion is a vital part in the process of understanding poverty. The state of a few sections of society has a long drawn relation to the social norms that have been imposed upon them centuries ago. Other areas such as education, employment and healthcare are also constituent reasons of a wider definition of poverty.
Given that the social exclusion and poverty are intertwined, economies need to advance feasible policies that will break the vicious cycles of poverty. India needs to introduce and implement sound policies in order to ensure that individuals have access to good income that will otherwise translate into improved standards of
Although poverty has minimized, it is still significant poverty which is characterized by a numerous amount of things. There are two types of poverty case and insular. “Case poverty is the farm family with the junk-filled yard and the dirty children playing in the bare dirt” (Galbraith 236)Case poverty is not irretraceable and usually caused if someone in the household experiences “ mental deficiency, bad health, inability to adapt to the discipline of industrial life, uncontrollable procreation, alcohol, some educational handicap unrelated to community shortcomings” (Galbraith 236).Case poverty is often blamed on the people for their shortcomings but on some levels can be to pinpoint one person's shortcomings that caused this poverty. Most modern poverty is insular and is caused by things people in this community cannot control. “The most important characteristic of insular poverty is forces, common to all members of the community, that restrain or prevent participation in economic life and increase rates of return.
Before we can explain the causes of poverty, one must first define what poverty is. If you were to ask someone for their definition of poverty, you would get several different definitions. There has been much conflict in the United States over defining poverty, but according to Diana DiNitto (2007), poverty can be defined in six different ways. Poverty as deprivation, inequality, lack of human capital, culture, exploitation, and structure are the six different ways. When a family or individual does not have the adequate amount of income to meet all of their basic needs, they are described as being deprived. Poverty as deprivation explains that a family or individual is deprived when they are living below the standard of...
Merriam Webster defines poverty as the state of lacking a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. The United States Census Bureau identifies poverty as a lack of goods and services commonly taken for granted by members of mainstream society. Professor Gene Nichol, however, defines poverty from an emotional, yet som...
The article, “Education, poverty and schooling: a study of delhi slum dwellers”, highlights that “education positively influences poverty reduction, while poverty, or low income, adversely affects the quality and quantity of education”. This model is very much apparent in Jackie’s life. As she lacked formal education in the early stages of her life, she remained in the cycle of poverty even into her adulthood. Without the knowledge of how to change things and the inability of doing so, it is very much difficult, if not impossible, for her to get out of this infinite
Poverty is a global epidemic that contributes to the deaths of millions each year. However, poverty is more prominent in some areas around the world than others. The Oxford dictionary defines poverty as the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support, but it’s so much more. Poverty can be defined as being hungry, lacking shelter, being unable to go to school, being unable to see a doctor, or being powerless and having a lack of freedom. The reason behind the many descriptions of poverty is that poverty has many faces, and its definition changes depending on the place and time, however the effects of poverty on the poor are always the same.
Around the world, people are born into poverty against their own will. The location in which they are born will determine the level of difficulty in escaping their poverty. The caste system is a well-known way of life associated with Hindus, who are predominantly found in India. India is known to have the most extreme poverty conditions in the world, and the caste system makes it hard to escape such poverty. However, North Americans do not have such problems because of the opportunities that are offered, and the less obvious classifying of society. Location is an essential component when it comes to whether a person will be doomed to hardship or will eventually escape.
Poverty is general scarcity or dearth, or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. It is a multifaceted concept, which includes social, economic, and political elements. Poverty seems to be chronic or temporary, and most of the time it is closely related to inequality. As a dynamic concept, poverty is changing and adapting according to consumption patterns, social dynamics and technological change. Absolute poverty or destitution refers to the deprivation of basic human needs, which commonly includes food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter and health care.
...an HDI of 0.36. These discrepancies in levels of development have led to an exodus of people, from less developed areas to the areas that have been benefitted by development. This situation seems to depict that predicted by the Dependency theory in which the developed countries progressed due to the exploitation of peripheral nations; the same seems to be happening in India. The states that are wealthier are exploiting the poorer states. It would be difficult to imagine India having the economic status that it now has, if it was not for the terrible working conditions and wages at which the Indians are willing to work and the massive work force available in the country. Now that India has seen economic growth the government should start taking care of its citizens by implementing policies that protect the labor rights of the workforce.
Economically poverty is the condition of not having enough funds to provide water, shelter, clothing and nutrients for them and the household. Socially, poverty is viewed as a disadvantage in the social belonging, such as capabilities, educational and cultural aspects. Here is an exception from Narayan, D. & P. Petesch. 2002. Voices of the poor: from many lands. Oxford University Press for the World Bank. New York, this is one of the best description out there to describe poverty from one’s point of view. “Throughout the Voices of the Poor series people vividly describe multiple, interlocking sets of disadvantages that leave them powerless to get ahead. Experiences of ill-being including material lack and want (of food, housing and shelter, livelihood, assets and money); hunger, pain and discomfort; exhaustion and poverty of time; exclusion, rejection, isolation and loneliness; bad relations with others, including bad relations within the family; insecurity, vulnerability, worry, fear and low self-confidence; and powerlessness, helplessness, frustration and anger”
Gender and race discrimination are major causes which have led to income inequality in these countries. India has caste system, which is s...
Poverty can be described as many things, it can be described as hunger, lack of shelter, not having access to school, not knowing how to read and much more. Despite the definitions, one thing we know for sure is that poverty is a complex societal issue. Poverty is a large cause of social tensions and threatens to separated a nation because of the issue of inequalities, more specifically, income inequality. Poverty is a main impact of globalization, it can affect a whole nation by furthering inequalities. Overall, has affected all of developing countries and has a crucial impact on developed countries.
Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. Social justice issues occur globally, regionally, locally and within groups. These issues are a result of unequal distribution of resources, discrimination, and laws that support segregation just to mention a few. Against this bedrock, this essay is going to analyze poverty as a social justice problem, its causes and how it could be addressed. Some causes of poverty which are to be analyzed in this essay include: unemployment, poor health services, corruption, and food dumping.
Poverty an also be described as having a lack of income and/or goods to satisfy necessities-food, shelter, clothing, and acceptable levels of health and education.
in relation to development. Development is explained by the Oxford Dictionary as the process of developing or developed in a specified state of growth or advancement. Underdeveloped as according to the Oxford Dictionary is ‘not fully developed or not advanced economically’ which is meant for a country or a region. We can certainly see the difference between underdeveloped and developed where the changing situation emerges from the economic point of view. To be more specific, worlds within world were created i.e. the nomenclature of First World and Third World came into picture. The First World is said to be the industrialised, capitalist countries of Western Europe, North America, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand who are developed (as explained in the definition). The Third World includes the developing countries of- Asia, Africa and Latin America who are still in the mode of developing. Normally we understand the situation of underdevelopment is because the third world was under the colonies or the colonial rule for a certain period of time and lags behind the first world in every aspects like- social, economical, political, technological advancements which are yet to be seen in the third world fully like the first world. In this paper we will talk about various theorists from - Karl Marx (capitalism and class conflict), Kay and Amin (merchant capitalism, colonialism and neo-colonialism), Vladimir Lenin (imperialism), Andre Gunder Frank (third world dependency), Lipton (urban bias) and dependency theory. Here in this paper we will try to explain and understand the relevance of the various underdevelopment theories and different attributes related to it terms of the Indian Context.
Poverty is an issue dealt with throughout the world, but we are not all aware of its conditions. Poverty is a very serious problem around the world. Poverty is defined as the equality of poorness and impoverishment -- (the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions). A question to ask ourselves is: “Should poverty be defined strictly in terms of monetary income, as opposed to some qualitative formula which takes into consideration styles of life as well as material possessions?” (Sheppard 13) Because there are so many different ways we can express the term poverty, maybe there should be a certain way we can determine poverty worldwide?